Method of and device for packaging laundry



Dec. '8, 1936.

.1 T GIBBONS METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR PACKAGING LAUNDRY Filed April 9, 1934 F1 B. l;

ll ll- 1 J/ lll l 2 FIEH P- Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFIE Joseph T. Gibbons, Washington, D. C., assignor to Walter C. Krout, Charlotte, N. 0.

Application April 9, 1934, Serial No. 719,775

2 Claims.

My invention consists in a new and useful improvement in method of and device for packaging laundry, and is designed more particularly for packaging mens shirts having starched collars, freshly laundered. Within comparatively recent times, the practice has been adopted by many laundries of starching collars attached to mens shirts, and in packaging shirts so laundered the pressure incident to the packaging tends to crush such starched collars. My improved method and device obviates the possibility of such damage and permits the packaging of a considerable number of such shirts, insuring ample protection to the collars. The particularly novel feature of my method is the provision of spacers interposed between the shirts by which any pressure due to packaging is sustained by the shirts and spacers and is not exerted upon the collars. I consider the details 20 of construction of my improved supporting elements which serve as spacers constitute a novel and useful improvement, as well as my process.

While I have illustrated in the drawing filed herewith and have hereinafter fully described one specific embodiment of my improved device, used in my improved method, it is to be distinctly understood that I do not consider either myimproved method or device limited to such specific disclosure, but refer for the scope of my invention to the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, the laundry box being shown in section, of two shirts packaged according to my improved method.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the top portion of a shirt, showing my improved supporting element partially inserted.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the element in operative position.

40 Figure 4 is a plan View of my improved supporting element.

I shall first describe the details of construction of my improved supporting element. It consists of a strip i, made of any suitable flex- 45 ible material, having its straight top edge 2 and bottom edge 3 parallelly disposed, and end edges 4 disposed at right angles to the edges 2 and t. The strip I is provided with lateral extensions 5 disposed at the ends of the edge 3, having outer edges 6 which are extensions of the edges 4, bottom edges I parallel with the edge 2, and inner inclined edges 8 from the inner ends of the edges 7 to the ends of the edge 3. At the point of junction of the edge 3 with each of the edges 8, I provide a slit 9 disposed parallel with the edges 5 and having a depth equal to the thickness of thestrip i. From the inner end of each slit 9 to the adjacent edge 5, I provide a score Ill disposed parallel with the edges 2 and 'i.

To apply my improved supporting element to a shirt, the extensions 5 are bent on the scores it! at right angles to the strip i. The strip I is flexed so that it assumes the position indicated in Figure 2, to permit its insertion through the collar opening of the shirt, until the element rests upon the inner surface of the back I? of the shirt. When the element is in this position and is released from the pressure flexing it, its flexibility causes it to assume the position illustrated in Figure 3, the ends of the strip 5 bearing against the inner face of the collar band it, at its most widely separated points, the extensions 5 being inserted between the back I2 and bosom M of the shirt, and the strip I, by reason of its design, standing vertically. It is to be understood that my improved supporting element is applied to the shirt after the shirt has been folded and prepared in the customary way after laundering, by the use of the shirt board It and wrapper band I6. As illustrated in Figure 1, the starched collar Il stands erect above the bosom IA of the shirt, when it has been prepared and lies horizontally, and it is obvious that my improved supporting element is so designed and disposed that its upper edge 2 is somewhat above the upper edge of the collar Il, when it has been applied to the shirt. By reason of the slits 9 and the position of the scores it, it will be seen that the inner ends of the extensions 5 are disposed in the same longitudinal plane with the edge 3, so that my supporting element has a continuous bearing edge against the shirt, throughout its entire length.

Attention is directed to the peculiar configuration of the extensions 5 on the strip I, particularly as to the disposition of the inclined edges 8 thereof. It is to be noted that if in inserting the supporting element into the collar opening of the shirt the extensions 5 should strike against the upper edges of the convergent front portions Ila. of the collar H, the extensions 5 will ride off of these upper edges because of the fact that the edges 8 are inclined similarlyto the portions Ila. Moreover, the reduced edges I of the extensions 5 facilitate the insertion of the extensions 5 between the back I2 and the bosom i l of the shirt.

As illustrated in Figure 1, when shirt A has been placed in the bottom of box I8, shirt B reversely positioned is super-imposed upon it.

Thus it is obvious from Figure 1 that the edge 3 of my supporting element in shirt A rests against the back l2 of shirt A and its upper edge 2 bears against the bosom M of shirt B. At the same time, the edge 2 of the supporting element in shirt B rests upon the bosom l4 of shirt A and its edge 3 bears against the back l2 of shirt B. It is obvious that a plurality of pairs of shirts, arranged as illustrated in Figure 1, may be stacked and packaged according to the capacity of the box l8. It is obvious that when one or more pairs of shirts have been disposed as above described, they may be packaged in any suitable Way, as by wrapping or bagging, instead of being boxed.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1s:

1. The method of packaging pairs of mens shirts with starched collars attached thereto which consists of inserting into the collar opening of each shirt a rigid spacing element to rest upon the inner surface of the back of the shirt and extend vertically upwardly at right angles to the plane of the back of the shirt beyond the upper edge of the collar, facing the shirts of each pair so that the shirt bosoms will contact the outer edges of the elements, and enclosing the shirts by any suitable means.

2. The method of packaging pairs of mens shirts with starched collars attached thereto which comprises disposing against the collar band of each shirt at its two most widely separated points the ends of an expansible element in such a manner that the inner edge of said element is based upon the inner surface of the back of the shirt and the element, rising perpendicularly at right angles to the plane of said back, projects its outer edge, in a horizontal plane, beyond the outer edge of the shirt collar, facing the shirts of each pair so that the bosom of each shirt shall bear upon the said outer edge of the element in the other shirt of the pair, and enclosing the shirts by any suitable means.

JOSEPH T. GIBBONS. 

